Clear Window Stickers & Decals May Not Be Best Promotional Choice

Many people come to Websticker looking for clear window stickers or clear decals. While clear material may be appropriate in a few cases, most of the time we try to talk people out of using it. There are several reasons this is the case, and on jobs where it is used, several important details need to be kept in mind for them to be effective.

The reason putting your design on clear material sounds appealing to many people is that they feel it won’t be “bumper sticker looking” with a lot of white space. The hope is that it will look like a custom paint job of just the graphic. This is just not the case, usually. Vinyl cut graphics or a basic die cut sticker can accomplish the same desired effect in a much stronger way. And, these alternatives won’t necessarily cost more.

I discussed in a previous post my dislike for static stickers on car windows. Clear decals with adhesive share some of the same issues and there is also increased risk of air bubbles trapped under the material (which can show). The bigger the clear decals the more risk of air bubbles and problems with applying the decals.

A usual problem with inks on clear material is that there is bleed through, even with the thickest screen printed inks. A window back ground appears dark from a distance and printed inks that aren’t reflecting light will wash out once applied and be difficult to see. White ink is essential when printing on clear material so that there is more reflected light then translucence. But even with white ink backing all colors, or white ink on it’s own, it still is not as bold and visible as inks printed on white or yellow vinyl.

If you are thinking about a sticker or decal on clear material let us review your art and color options and confirm the clear will work effectively. Or, perhaps suggest stronger alternatives.

5 responses to “Clear Window Stickers & Decals May Not Be Best Promotional Choice”

Hi Eric – Excellent question. Not often, but, we will sometimes update and republish older blog posts that are still relevant just to try and refresh the content and dig it out of the archives. In this case, I still believe clear stickers are usually a bad idea for promotional purposes, but rather than say the same thing as the older post in a new similar post, I just refresh and republish content. The comments still seemed relevant so I left these in.

I do development work for a few non-profits. I came to you to get a sticker for a school who wanted their families to put them on their cars. You tried to talk us out of a clear decal but with so many involved in the decision I could not convince them. While the sticker was designed well and attractive they were not as visible from afar as we wished. When we reorder we will certainly heed Websticker.com's advice and print them on white vinyl!!

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